


Sittin' in a Tree

by ossapher



Series: The Macaroniverse -- Lams Modern AU [3]
Category: American Revolution RPF
Genre: Asexual Character, Gen, Not literally, Washingdad, ace!Washington, just Washington acting in a dad-ly way
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-07
Updated: 2016-02-07
Packaged: 2018-05-18 17:48:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,798
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5937331
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ossapher/pseuds/ossapher
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Camp Director George Washington attempts to give Alex The Talk, encounters much resistance, and eventually teaches and learns.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sittin' in a Tree

**Author's Note:**

> This fic would not exist twice over if it were not for the generosity and talent of [scioscribe](http://archiveofourown.org/users/scioscribe/pseuds/scioscribe), first, because she gave me the idea, and second, because she convinced me to post it.  
>   
> This is a follow-up to [Little Boy Blue](http://archiveofourown.org/works/5801755) and might not make much sense without it.
> 
> As before, Washington in this fic will be played by Chris Jackson. 
> 
> Since Washington is giving Alex The Talk, they do discuss consent. There is a brief and somewhat general discussion of abusive relationships later on.

Washington checks his watch as he strolls into Natalie Greene’s office. “Hey, have you seen Alex? We need to get going soon.” Alex’s quarterly bloodwork appointment is today, and Washington needs to drive him to the clinic like he does once every summer. He’d told Alex to come by the office after breakfast, but Alex isn’t here yet. “He’s usually much more reliable than this.”

Natalie Greene (queen of the file system, procurer of supplies, possible sorceress) shrugs. “I think I saw him and Kitty heading down towards the lake.”

“Hm. Strange. I’ll go fetch him,” Washington says, and Natalie’s eyebrows go up, like she’s in on a joke he’s missed. “We’ll be back this afternoon. You’ve got everything covered?”

“You know I do,” says Natalie, with a grin, and Washington nods and walks out.

***

Ever since the state of Virginia decided lifeguards weren’t a necessary budget item the lake has been the loneliest part of camp. The trail out that way is already half-overgrown, but there are a surprising number of footprints in the mud, considering. Washington hopes nobody is going swimming; that could be unsafe.

“Kitty, please,” comes Alex’s voice; from where, Washington can’t tell. “I gotta go.”

“Come on, two more minutes?”

“Well. If you absolutely insist, I suppose...”

“I _do_ insist.”

Washington’s brow furrows. What on earth could they be doing? It sounds almost like—but no, that’s strictly against camp rules. Absolutely forbidden. Around the edge of the lake weeping willows hang over the water, impeding his view, and the echoes on the water make it difficult to get a fix on their voices. Where are they?

After a silence of about thirty seconds Alex speaks, his voice slightly rough. “Seriously, Kitty, I don’t want—”

“You said _two_ minutes, Alex, that wasn’t even one.”

“Okay, fine, but if—”

Are they on the other side of the willow tree? Washington parts the curtain of leaves and _oh, there they are_ , perched on a branch that extends over the lake, playing a rather enthusiastic game of tongue hockey.

“Aah!” Washington cries, and Alex pulls out of the kiss like he’s been burned. He overbalances and topples backwards off the branch, landing in the lake with more of a squelch than a splash.

Washington races over, but Alex is obviously unharmed, sitting up and spitting out lakewater. He wipes at his eyes and leaves a streak of mud across his face.

“Kitty,” Washington says, “I would like you to go back up to the office and tell Deputy Director Greene that you will be doing dishes after lunch for the next week.” They have a chores rota anyway; a week of dishes isn’t unreasonable for a first-time infraction. “And tell her Alex will be taking dishes after dinner.”

“Sir, it was my idea,” Kitty protests, dropping out of the tree. “I made Alex do it, please—”

Washington’s stomach lurches at _I made Alex do it_. “You and I will talk later. And I will talk to Alex separately. For now, what I said stands. You may go.” She scurries off, eager to escape.

“Alex,” he says, taking Alex’s mud-covered hand and hauling him up out of the muck, “I’m going to see if I can’t reschedule your appointment for half an hour later so you can clean yourself up before we go.”

“Yes, sir,” Alex says, climbing out onto more solid ground. His face is beet red, and he won’t meet Washington’s eyes. “I’m really sorry, sir. I shouldn’t have broken the rules.”

Washington doesn’t know what to say. He settles on, “Everyone makes mistakes,” and immediately knows, from the way Alex closes his eyes and swallows convulsively, that it was the wrong answer. “Including me,” he adds.

“You’re not gonna kick me out?”

“Alex, if I kicked you out, how would you do the dishes this week?”

“Oh. Right, dishes.” Alex inhales sharply, glancing straight up. “Sorry, that was… stupid.”

“Son, if there’s one thing I know about you, it’s that you’re not stupid.” Washington sniffs. “Also, right now you smell like a lake. Go jump in the shower, and I’ll make that phone call.”

***

The first ten minutes of their ride in the van are some of the most exquisitely awkward of Washington’s life, right up there with the ten minutes he spent trapped in an elevator with the Secretary of Defense and the ten minutes in which he delivered his closing statement to entirely the wrong courtroom. He’s so used to thinking of Alex as a _child_ ; the idea of him getting mixed up in all this… sex stuff is faintly bizarre. But Alex is fifteen this year. And there was that disturbing phrase from Kitty: _I made Alex do it._ He replays their conversation in his mind, remembering her insistence that they continue even when Alex wanted to stop. So, yes, even as uncomfortable as he feels, Alex needs him right now.

“Alex, we need to talk about what happened today,” he says.

Alex sighs, his breath briefly fogging the side window; he’s finally big enough to sit in the passenger seat. “I’d rather not, sir. I’m sorry that I broke the rules and I know you’re mad. I won’t do it again.”

“This isn’t about breaking the rules,” Washington soothes. “I’m not mad. This is about you being safe. Not just at camp, but in life.”

Alex’s eyes widen in alarm. “Sir, if you’re going to start talking about condoms I really, really don’t think that’s nec—”

“I’m not talking about condoms,” Washington says, “although if we need to talk about condoms, we can do that too.” Right after he Googles it; it’s been a long time.

“It’s fine, I already know,” Alex splutters, face rapidly reddening, “really, I do not need— in fact, we can just forego this entire conversation—”

“This is about establishing healthy boundaries, communication, and consent.”

“Yeah, no means no, don’t rape anybody, I got it!” Alex’s face suddenly twists in alarm. “With Kitty— you’re not saying— I mean, she was _definitely_ into it, sir, I promise to you, one hundred percent, I would _never_ —”

“Calm down,” Washington says. “I believe you. She made it clear that everything that… transpired was entirely on her initiative.” _When is this boy going to stop assuming he’s in trouble?_

“Oh,” Alex sighs, sagging in the seat. “Well then, what’s the problem?”

“Consent,” Washington pauses for effect, “consent is about a lot more than ‘no means no.’ Consent is about establishing, in advance, what you and your partner are comfortable with, and then respecting that in your interactions. And consent is especially important when you’re young and still figuring things out about yourself.”

“Look,” Alex says, frustrated, “maybe Kitty and I didn’t, like, draw up a contract beforehand, okay, but for that— that kind of stuff, it’s, like, you don’t necessarily _need_ words, like, you can know in the moment from how someone’s acting whether they’re—I can’t _believe_ I’m talking about this with you, oh my _God_ — _”_

“You’re absolutely right. Nonverbal cues can be a very important way of establishing whether a person consents, and particularly if they’ve decided to withdraw consent, as you say, ‘in the moment.’”

“Yes,” says Alex, “thank you, you understand, you can’t just be like, ‘hey, mind if I stick my tongue by your left molar?’ so much as just _read the moment_.”

“Why not?”

“Why not what?”

“Why can’t you say, ‘hey, mind if I—’”

“Sir, _no_ , that would be _so awkward_ —”

“Is being awkward really the end of the world?”

“ _Yeeeees_ ,” Alex groans, dragging his hands down his face.

“No, Alex, it is not. Sometimes necessary conversations can be awkward. Like this one.” Washington clears his throat. “But I remember you giving Kitty some very clear _verbal_ cues, which she chose to ignore when she pressured you to go forward.”’

For a moment, Alex simply looks flabbergasted. Then he laughs. “Kitty! You’re saying _Kitty_ messed up—that _I_ was the one who didn’t consent?”

“You said no.”

“Yeah, sure, I said no, but I didn’t say no because I didn’t want to make out, I said no because I knew I had the appointment and I didn’t want to be late! And anyway, I said yes, like, two seconds later!” Alex says, his face turning red. “It was—it was against my better judgment, but I said yes.”

“The particular reason that you said no is irrelevant. The point is that, when you said no, she didn’t back off. She continued to pressure you _until_ you said yes. That behavior was disrespectful of a boundary that you set up.”

“And failed to maintain!” Alex’s eyes are pleading. “Sir, please don’t punish Kitty, I promise, we weren’t doing anything we hadn’t done before—”

“Alex, for the last time, nobody is in trouble! I am _trying_ to turn this into a teachable moment.”

“Okay! Fine! Lesson learned!” Alex cries, throwing up his hands. “Now would you please stop trying run my life!”

“If you consider having an honest conversation about an adult topic to be ‘trying to run your life’ then you’re less mature than I thought.” Washington says, addressing the road in front of him. “Relationships—in whatever form—are an important part of life, and navigating them is a skill that comes with thought and practice, and the concept of consent is _extremely_ important in whatever you do. I think you’ve internalized it as far as how you treat others, but not so much in relation to how others treat _you_. I am coming to you from a place of respect and, and friendship and _concern_ , Alex, I don’t want you to—” He balls up a fist on the steering wheel, doesn’t finish the sentence.

Washington keeps his eyes on the road, but he can practically feel Alex’s confusion and misplaced sense of offended honor struggling for dominance in the seat next for them. Finally, Alex whispers, “Sir, I think you’re way more freaked out about this whole thing than I am...”

“I know,” Washington says, “and that fact worries me even more.”

“Well, then. I give you permission to stop worrying about me.”

Washington grins, shaking his head. “It doesn’t work that way, son.”

Alex is quiet for another long moment, fiddling with the radio, fidgeting in his seat. “I guess I just—” he begins, and breaks off. “I mean, at home—I don’t know how much Mrs. Stevens told you, but—” He breaks off again.

Washington values honesty, so he says, “She told me quite a bit.”

“Right. Right, you’d have to know,” Alex clasps his hands together and bows his head. “Jesus, I hadn’t thought of that. Why else would you have taken me?”

Washington wavers for just a second. “I will admit, the fact that you were being bullied in California was a—a factor, one of several, for admitting you your first year. But after that it was all you, Alex. You make this place better just by being here.”

“Yeah, so,” Alex continues, like he hasn’t even heard Washington’s praise, “I guess you can imagine why the question of consent hasn’t really, like, been something I’ve had to think about. I never had a group of friends before. Because at home, there’s no chance anyone would be caught dead with me—”

“I wouldn’t count on that staying the case,” Washington says, but Alex is already rushing on.

“—so like, I come here and then Kitty actually like, _likes_ -me likes me, and it just, it feels good, okay? So sue me. It feels good to have someone like you!”

“It does,” Washington agrees. “Absolutely.”

“And you know what else? It feels good to kiss people! It feels good to make out with people! I haven’t tried too much farther than that yet but I bet that feels good, too!”

“What feels good about it?”

The question catches Alex completely off-guard. “Um, what?”

“Open-ended question. No right or wrong answer. I’m just curious what you think.”

Alex gulps. “Um… I mean, physically it’s nice, I guess? But, I mean, that’s not all of it, like, if there was a robot that could kiss as well as Kitty, kissing it wouldn’t be as nice as kissing Kitty.”

Washington fixates on a telephone pole miles away and brutally squashes the desire to laugh, because, okay, Alex is engaging with the subject matter and that was a totally legitimate way to think about physical attraction versus romantic attraction. At this point, he might as well not be in the car; Alex just needs to work through his own thoughts aloud. “At home people spend so much time being just… just _disgusted_ by me. They’re _repelled_. And like, when somebody kisses you, that’s so not that! It’s like, the complete polar opposite of being repellent.”

“The word you’re looking for is ‘attractive.’”

“Huh. That _is_ the opposite of repellent.” Washington had meant nothing more than to lighten the mood a little, but Alex takes the wordplay seriously. “Are you trying to say that, because… because maybe people have been—because of how people act towards me, that it makes me more likely to do something I don’t really want to do… sex-wise, just to make… just so I can feel non-disgusting? Is that why you said you were worried for me?”

Alex sounds so scared and uncertain, and Washington wishes he could brush off his fears, could just say, _no, you’re strong, that won’t happen to you_ , but the truth is, he’s had so many strong kids crying in his office back at camp, he’s had so many strong women come into his law office in D.C. looking for a divorce, finally, but their eyes glow every time they say _he still loves me, you know, he’d take me back_. He wasn’t expecting Alex to get it this fast, or maybe even to get it at all; he’s had plenty of conversations like this with kids that went nowhere, or that ended in shouting matches. He considers his answer carefully. “I’m not saying that’s what happened with you and Kitty. In fact, from what you’ve said, that sounds pretty unlikely. But such patterns of thought and behavior are… are not uncommon, for people with life stories similar to yours. It’s very easy to become… reliant upon a relationship for positive attention.”

Alex frowns faintly. “I don’t know, though. I mean, I feel like I know what I want most of the time. Don’t people generally act according to what they want? Like, would someone really agree to… to do something they didn’t want at _all_ , sex-wise, just because they really wanted something else?”

“Son, you’d be astonished,” Washington says. He sighs. “Let me tell you what I wish I’d known when I was younger.”

“... okay?”

“It’s okay to not want things,” Washington says. “It’s okay to turn people down. It’s okay to only want things with one person whom you know and trust. It’s okay to go for years without wanting things. It doesn’t make you less of a man, and it certainly doesn’t make you less of a person. And if you say _no_ , your partner needs to respect that. There are plenty of reasons that you might have, going through your life, for wanting to be in a relationship, but _needing to be in a relationship to make yourself feel human_ will hopefully never be one of them.”

“That’s what you wish _you_ ’d known.”

“Yes.”

“That happened to you.”

“What exactly happened to me, biographically, is not relevant to this conversation. Anyway, it was a long time ago.”

Alex falls silent; they’re almost to the clinic, anyway. The blood draw goes off without a hitch, as usual. In the car on the way back occasionally he’ll take in a breath like he’s about to speak, then reconsider.

“What is it, Alex?” Washington finally asks.

“It’s just,” Alex squirms, “I know this is kinda personal, okay, but you were the one who said the thing about necessary conversations being awkward, so I was just thinking, have you considered if you might be somewhere on the ace spectrum, sir?”

Washington frowns. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard of that.”

“There’s this thing called asexuality where you’re not interested in sex,” Alex says, talking very fast. “It’s… there’s an argument about whether it’s a sexual orientation, like bisexuality, or whether it’s a lack of a sexual orientation. I don’t know, just, from what you said… and I mean, you’re old enough to know already who you like, so I’m sorry if I’m being, like, super pushy, but...”

“You’re not being pushy, Alex. Like I said, I’ve never heard of asexuality,” Washington says, but his heart is beating a little faster: _it has a name?_ “I’ll… I’ll have to Google it later.”

 


End file.
